London expands environmental zones to city: DUH sees blueprint for Germany

This Tuesday, London's "Ultra Low Emission Zone" will be extended to cover the entire city area. As a result, only vehicles that meet at least Euro 4 emissions standards for petrol engines and Euro 6 for diesel engines will be allowed to enter the city free of charge. The German Environmental Aid (DUH) views this as exemplary municipal commitment to air quality and calls on German cities to follow suit.

DUH Federal Managing Director Jürgen Resch says: "The expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone is a success for clean air and the health of the people on-site. In Germany, similar models are still being sought in vain - apart from the particularly burdened Stuttgart basin, where we have fought for a comparable environmental zone in court. More and more cities across Europe are moving forward and banning particularly dirty vehicles from their cities to improve air quality. Only in German cities have environmental zones been abolished in recent years, exposing citizens to significant health risks. We need stricter environmental zones in all German cities that have pollutant levels above WHO recommendations."